(Book) IMO: Heartwarming, funny, quick read, great message 3/5

(Movie) IMO: Predictable, charming, great acting, beautiful storyline that reflects the book’s message 4/5 (Read on!)

I have always been a strong proponent of waiting for Black Friday and then hitting the Christmas season hard. Christmas music, mochas, and shopping before the sun is up. And before the sun goes down, the tree is up, the house is decorated and at least one movie has been enjoyed, karaoke-style. The last few years, I’ve contemplated an earlier start to the season.

This year, I had no choice but to start celebrating early. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever movie, starring Judy Greer came out November 2nd. The story originated in Barbara Robinson’s 1972 novel by the same name. When I saw the preview, I knew Christmas would be starting in November.

I read the 80 page novel in a day. Both the movie and book were wrought with perfectly placed laugh-out-loud humor. The backdrop was small town Emmanuel. The narrator was a young girl, Beth, that along with her peers were terrorized daily by the Herdmans… a small herd of out-of-control children that beat people up (including each other), stole, set things on fire, smoked cigars and were just simply naughty. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Beth’s mom, Mrs Bradley became the director of the town’s sacred Christmas pageant. The Herdmans ended up in church for the first time when they heard refreshments were offered and proceeded to take over the pageant, much to the shock and horror of the uppity Ladies Aid members. What ensued was predictable, beautiful, funny and insightful.

There was one theme throughout the story that I didn’t anticipate touching me so deeply. During the first rehearsal, Mrs Bradley was giving directions based on the well-known Christmas story from the book of Luke. The Herdmans had all kinds of questions, asked by yelling and then telling people to shut up so they could hear.

“What were the wadded-up clothes?” Claude wanted to know.
“The what?” Mother said.
“You read about it- ‘she wrapped him in wadded-up clothes.’”
“Swaddling clothes.” Mother sighed.

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The Herdmans were outraged that the innkeeper couldn’t make room for a pregnant lady, they wanted someone to play Herod so they could beat up on him, they were appalled that wise kings brought something as lame and impractical as perfume and oils and they demanded to know where the welfare lady was when they heard baby Jesus was wrapped up in cloth and put in an animal trough.

Seeing this familiar story thru the eyes of someone that had never heard it and contemplating their questions makes me realize how I have taken the Christmas story for granted. Of course the season is about Jesus’ birth, but how often do I allow the shopping and decorating and movies and presents and music to overshadow that? How often do I minimize the fear that Mary must have had… to be carrying a child, not of her husband’s; to be at risk of stoning or divorce; to be traveling away from her home on a route that is often dangerous; even simply the discomfort of riding a donkey. Labor is hard in the hospital with pain meds. Mary was a real woman, a young woman. And she birthed her baby in a barn. With hay and animals. She didn’t have a nursery or a crib or midwife. She didn’t even have sleigh sized pads or a nursing bra. Think about that y’all! Just because God blessed her with this opportunity, does not mean it was easy. What a difference it would make to my view of the Christmas story, if I actually thought about what really happened, not just an easy-to-swallow version told by Linus’ on the stage of Charlie Brown’s Christmas? What would the story look like if I considered the real human aspect of each part? These were real people. Feeling real feelings, with dirt from a long journey on their feet, sore bodies from riding a donkey, disappointment and maybe even anger that the innkeeper didn’t have room for them. I would be angry.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever story reminded me there is so much more the real story than I pay attention to.

In most cases, books are better than their movie counterparts. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is an exception to this dependable rule! The movie brought the book to life; The producers did a fantastic job of simulating Robinson’s story. They included every major event and often the actor’s lines were taken directly from the book. The only reason the movie beats the book is because you can only get so much in 80 pages. The movie fleshed out the story and character building. I liked the dad’s character better in the movie (played by Pete Holmes) and Judy Greer did a perfect job of playing a mom that wanted to succeed in her role, not step on any toes and vacillated between wanting the Herdmans OUT and then recognizing that Jesus came for them too. The young people were absolutely the stars of the show. Beatrice Schneider played Imogene Herdman, depicting the perfect balance of bully and vulnerability of a neglected child. Molly Belle Wright played Beth Bradley, a wall flower with cautious compassion and a deep love for her mom. Lorelei Mote played Alice Wendelken; she pulled off an onstage level of spoiled brat that I haven’t seen since Varuca Salt. No doubt this movie will be added to my Christmas movie DVD collection (yes I still have DVDs. I even have a few VHS tapes for those of you that know what those are).

Final thought… if you enjoy reading, watching movies and all things Christmas… read the book and watch this movie. You won’t be disappointed. It’ll catapult you into the most joyful season of the year, with a new outlook and a renewed reminder of what it’s really all about.